Rail lifting device



iatented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAIL LIFTING DEVICE Charles R. Schoenfielder, Aurora, Ill.

Application March 3 0, 1949, Serial No. 84,401

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to devices for lifting and moving railroad rails and has as its general aim the provision of a novel rail handling wheel so designed and constructed as to enable two or three men to conveniently shift a large heavy section of railroad rail from place to place.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide an improved and convenient rail handling tool so that even the heaviest rails may be moved from place to place by relatively few men, so that track repairs involving rail replacement may be made by a small section crew rather than by a crew of from twenty to thirty men as is now ordinarily required.

Another important object of the invention is to avoid and reduce the liability of personal injuries incurred during the operations of removing and replacing rails on a railroad right-of way.

Additional objects of the invention are to reduce the time required for accomplishing track repairs and to thereby reduce costs, as well as avoid delaying train schedules.

A still further important object of the invention is to accomplish the above enumerated aims by the use of a relatively small and inexpensive piece of equipment which is in itself easy to move from place to place, so that the equipment may be conveniently transported to the location at which it is needed.

According to thepresent teachings these objects are accomplished by the provision of a rail handling wheel having a generally circular outer periphery and provided with a rail supporting carriage mounted on slideways and operated by a pair of jack screws, so that the carriage may be clamped onto the head of a rail and the jack screws thereafter actuated to raise the rail to the approximate center of the wheel. A detachable bridge is then placed between the slideways of the carriage so that a wheel presents an uninterrupted annular rim which may be rolled along the ground to support the weight of the rail as it is moved from place to place.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the drawings of the present specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a rail lifting wheel in accordance with these teachings, showing the carriage in position to engage or release a rail resting on a flat surface;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 in changed position with the rail carriage elevated to bring the rail to the center of the wheel; Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the de! vice showing the manner in which a rail may be supported thereby; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional View through the housing of the mechanism to illustrate its internal construction.

The device includes a frame which is preferably circular in form and formed of a pair of housings I0 and II. These may be of any desired construction, but are preferably in the form of castings, and each casting consists of a pair of opposed frame sections 13 joined by an integral bridge l4 extending between them at their upper end as viewed in the drawings. The opposed frame sections |3 have opposite slides or ways I5 and IE to define an open slot l1 between the frames. The outer periphery of the castings is arcuate, extending in a generally circular form, to provide a circular rim surface 18 extending from the slide [5 around the frame and to the lower end of the slide I6. A rail carriage 2! is shiftably mounted between the slides l5 and I6 and is provided with screw threaded bosses 22 and 23, through which a pair of jack screws 24 and 25 extend. These jack screws are positioned in parallel alignment with the slides l5 and I6 and extend from a pair of lower bearings 26 and 26 to upper bearings 28 and 29. The screws are thus free to rotate in their bearings, but they are joined by a roller chain 31 extending between sprockets 32 and 33 on the screws 24 and 25, respectively, so that both screws will move in unison to raise or lower the carriage 2! equally on both sides. A reversible driving ratchet 34 and handle socket 35 are provided so that the car-- riage may be manually raised or lowered as required. The handle socket 35 extends through a slot 36 in the housing for convenient access.

The carriage 2| is provided at its lower end with a generally V-shaped recess or rail socket;

4| having an upper portion 42 of proper size and: shape as to receive the head of a railroad rail; indicated at 43. The carriage includes rail. clamping devices to secure the rail in position in the socket of the carriage and, as shown, these rail clamping devices include a pair of oppositely oriented semi-circular jaws 45 and 46, both pivoted on a pin 41 extending through a clevis 48 having clamping screw 49 extending through the upper wall of the carriage 2| and provided with a clamping nut 50. The jaws 45 and 46 are positioned between a pair of cam blocks 51 and 52 so that when the nut is tightened down the upward movement of the pin 4! and its clevis 48 will cause the clamps 45 and 46 to engage the flange of the rail and draw it securely into the socket 42.

A removable bridge 54 is adapted to be positioned across the lower end of the carriage way I! and secured at its opposite ends by the removable pins 55 and 55 respectively. The bridge 54 is arcuate in form so that it coacts with the peripheral surface [8 of the frame castings to provide a continuous circular rim so that the unit may be rolled along the ground.

In using the device, the bridge 54 is removed and the housing placed over a rail so that the rail stands in approximately the center of the carriage way IT. by manual manipulation of the handle socket 35, which rotates both jack screws 24. and 25isimultaneously and lowers the carriage 2,! until its.rail socket 4i surrounds the rail as shown in Figure 1; The operator then turns down the nut 50- to raise the screw threaded shank 49 of the clevis 48 and clamp the rail inv position on-th carriage. The reversible ratchet 34 is now reversed, so that con.- tinued actuationc-f the manual handle socket 35 rotates. the jack screws Hand 25- to lift the rail. The rail is preferably lifted to the position shown in Figure 2, at which time the rail is positioned at the center of the wheel. In this position the wheel may be rolledeither to right or lefttomove the rail in any desired manner, andas soon as the wheel is moved from its original vertical posi-. tion, the detachable-bridge 54 may be placed in position and-secured by the pins 55. and 56 so that the rail may be moved byrolling the wheel along the ground.

By using a single liftin device according to these teachings, attached at the midpoint of a given length of rail, it is possible also to turn the rail around or shift it angularly with a minimum of effort, and it has been found that two or. three men can easily handle astandard 39-ft. length of l31-lb. rail and can, as a matter of fact, load such a rail'onto a rubble car with less individual effort than would be required by fifteen or twenty men without the equipment here disclosed.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the teachings of this invention facilitate the handling of heavy rails, frogs or similar equipment, and particularly that by these teachings it is. entirely feasible for two or three men to perform a task which would otherwise require a far larger crew.

This is of considerable importance in practical maintenance work, since it often eliminates the delays ordinarily incident to organizing a large drawings of this specification. and; described herein is a present preferred embodimentandds selected as being illustrative-of the mode, o f-operation of the invention, but it should be recognized that certain deviations and variations frornthe exact design here shown may be indulged inwithout sacrifice of. all of the advantages herei obtained=and.it. is accordingly POiIJtQdnOLlt that the form of. the invention shown is by. way of, illus- The carriage is thenlowered.

In addition to easing tration rather than in limitation, and that the inventive concept of this disclosure applies equally to any variation or modification thereof within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A rail lifting wheel comprising a pair of generally circular housings, each housing consisting of opposed frame sections joined by an integral bridge extending between them at one end, said frame sections each including a carriage slide extending from the bridge to the ends of the sections; a rail supporting carriage shiftably mounted on said slides and extending between the opposed frame sections, with a rail socket in the carriage and manually operable rail clamping devices to secure a rail within the socket; means for moving the carriage longitudinally of the carriage slides comprising a pair of jack screws rotatablymounted. on the. opposed. frame sections of the housing with a mechanical connection betweensaid-jack screwswhereby both screws rotate in unison, and a manually operable ratchet handle. for actuating said, screws; together withv aremovable bridge detachably mounted between. the opposed frame sections at the end remote from. the integralbridge and having an arcuate outerv surface coacting with the generally circular housings to provide an annular rim for rolling. the wheel from place to place.

2. A. rail lifting wheel comprising a pair 0f generally circular housings, each housing consisting of opposed frame sections joined b an integral bridge extending between them at one end, said frame sectionseach including a carriage slide extending from the bridge to the ends of the sections; a rail, supporting carriage shiftably mounted on said slides and extending between the opposed frame sections, with a rail socket in the carriage and manually operable rail clamping devices to secure a railwithin the socket, and means for moving the carriage longitudinally of the carriage slides; together with a removable bridge detachably mounted between the opposed frame sections at. the end remote from the integral bridge andhaving an arcuate outer surface coacting. with the generally circular housings to provide. anannular rim for rolling the wheel fromplace to place.

3. Arail lifting wheel having a generally circular housing consisting of opposed frame sections joined by an integral bridge at one end, said frame sections each including a carriage slide extending from the bridge to the ends of the sections, a rail supporting carriage shiftably mountedon said slides and extending, betweenthe opposed frame sections with manually operable rail clamping devices to secure a rail to said carriage; means for manually moving the carriage longitudinally of the carriage slides, and. a removable bridge detachably mounted between the opposed frame sections, at the end remote from the integral bridge and having. an arcuate outer surface coacting with the generally circular housing to provide an annular rim for, rolling the wheel from place to place.

4. A raillifting wheel having a generally circular housing consisting of, opposed frame, sections joined by an integral bridge at one end, a carriage slidebetween said frame sections, a rail supporting carriage shiftably mounted on. said slide between the opposed frame sections witha rail socket in thecarriage and manually operable rail clamping devices to secure a rail within the socket, means for moving the carriage longitudinally of the carriage slides, and a removable bridge detachably mounted between the opposed frame sections at the end remote from the integral bridge and having an arcuate outer surface ooacting with the generally circular housing to provide an annular ri m for rolling the wheel from place to place; Y

CHARLES R. SCHOENFIE'LDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Todd Aug. 6, 1872 Skinner et a1 July 7, 1874 Welch Nov. 24, 1874 Systrom Jan. 28, 1930 Becker Dec. 16, 1941 Hartwig May 25, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Austria. Apr. 25, 1923 

